The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-03

was a disciple of st. John, did not
believe in an endless hell for Roman OF
any other pagans, for upon the author
ity of j. F. Denham, M. A., of the
same college whence issue the Hulsean
lectures, it is stated Justin Martyr be-
lieved that future punishment would
sometime cease. (Kitto: article "SOul." ~
There is an expression Mr.. Adams
makes which it will not be inOpp0rtune
to notice. He says theology just now
needs "a rubbing up" Here is fine
chance for him to become noted. Just
let him give his hearers for one year,
the theology of hell that was preached
seventy five years ago, or the theology
of his own church that was then
preached on ''free will" His people
would have hell so vividly brought be-
fore them that they would imagine its
sulphurous waves were dashing against
the church. AS Mr.. Adams says, "sin
means the freedom of the will" If he
rubs up old theology he will ascertain
that "free WILL" as preached by theo-
lOgians of his own school, was freedom
and ability to sin, but utter inability
to do right. Rubbing up free will"
standard authority, thorough going
Puritan, reasons thus: GAS man is
fallen into pit he cannot help himself
out of it, but by one of two ways; eth
er by doing all himself alone, or taking
hold of, and improving the help offered
him by others; so an unconverted man
cannot be supposed to help himself
out of that state, but either in the way
of the law or covenant of works by
doing all himself without Christ, or
else in the way Of the gospel or cove
nant of grace, by exerting his own
strength to lay hold upon, and to make
use of the help offered him by Say-
iour.
but alas The unconverted man is
dead in the pit and cannot help himself
either of the two ways. But you may
ask when Christ comes and offers help
to sinners, cannot they take it? No,
they cannot. No man can come unto
me except the Father draw him.
Hearken, o unregenerate man, and be
convinced that as thou art in a most
miserable state, by nature, 80 thou art
utterly unable TO recover thyself in any
manner of way. Although Christ is
offered in the gospel the unregenerate
cannot believe in him. Saving faith is
the faith of Gods elect; the special gift
of God to them, wrought in them by his
spirit. (Boston's "Fourfold State, q 18th
editionJ This rs the simon pure stf1e-
ology of the Congregational and Pres
byterian churches on ''free willo in
the staid old times From one stand
point the old theology was fair. Hav-
ing the feature of economy in redemp-
tion it was just; it did not exact double.
God was just to his son in not exact
ing one drop of blood only for the elect.
The old theology never thought of in
Guiding the heather who have no chance
of hearing the gospel in the little
coterie of the elect-exeept possibly the
babes some babes, for we read of
select infants"
We may suppose the quotations Mr..
Adams enlivens his article with are
intended to strengthen positions. 1.-The
Master says so' is potent; but when
one comes to eXpend little thought,
there is vagueness about them as
well as an egoism. 81 say sop DR..
Shedd's "self determination runs par
allel with hell" is rather striking, and
if true, 'self determination" will keep
out of hell for parallel lines never meet.
If he had said self determination of
the non-elect rusbes unavoidably into
hell, there would have been pertinency
according to theology rubbed up"
Authority, says DR.. Shedd, develops the
sterner elements Of theology more than
is usual nowadays. If one understands
rightly the drift of Mr.. Adams's argu-
ment it is to establish the eternally
hopeless state of the heather who have
died without hearing the gospel. He
does not say so right out. If he had
said plainly what he meant in the
Inter Ocean article, that faith cometh
by hearing and hearing by the word
of God" and that the innumerable mil
lions of the dead pagans who had no
chance to hear the word and believe it
are now in hell, there eternally to re-
main, he would have been understood,
and thousands that read that paper
would have been startled at that most
cruel and satanic doctrine. Retribu-
tion like this would not appear to them
"intrinsically excellent" but intrin-
sically unjust and cruel
among scholarly men," says the
Christian Life. sit is Drettv we'll eoread